Programming and composing go hand in hand

What does programming and composing have in common and how does a composer’s background benefit a programmer? Henri Sokka has previously worked as a composer and programmed for a hobby – and now, the roles have changed.

Henri Sokka works as a software developer at BearIT and, at the moment, the main technologies used in projects are React and AWS. For a software developer, Henri’s background is somewhat unusual: he has studied composing and music theory and composed e.g. video game music but also programmed for years. As time went by, he became more interested in programming.

– What drives me to programming (as well as to composing) is the interest towards problem-solving, on a technical and abstract level as well as from a real-life point-of-view.

Building worlds and structures

When it comes to self-studies, the most important aspect according to Henri is learning-by-doing. He gives a practical example: when he started to study React, he says he learned it first after he had used it in practice. For years, both programming and composing have been a part of his life. What does programming and composing have in common then?

– When I’m composing, I tend to try out things bit by bit. For example, I might have three different pieces of music that are intertwined little by little. What composing and programming have in common is that they build structures and their own kinds of worlds. Composing itself is quite intuitive but requires certain structures as a basis, ponders Henri.

Composing itself is quite intuitive but requires certain structures.

Support through composing and certification

According to Henri, composing has given him a good base for programming. He sees common elements in both mindsets and ways of working.

– Composing has taught me abstract thinking and given me the ability to divide things into smaller sections. It requires creativity, and so does programming. Composing also forces me to lead myself. This has taught me organizing skills which are useful in my current position.

Henri was recently granted an AWS certification and finds the certification useful for his upcoming tasks. Thanks to the certification, he now feels more confident when using AWS services.

– The certification gave me a broad overview of the AWS platform and this helps me to understand what kind of tools the platform provides. I now feel more confident and easy to try out new ideas in practice.

Programming requires creativity – especially in the future

Software industry is an extremely fast-developing field and the speed keeps on accelerating. For that reason, the future of the industry is hard to anticipate. However, Henri believes that a bit different kind of skills are valued in the future.

– I have started to study AR (augmented reality) technology because I believe it may be a part of our lives sooner than we think. The world is becoming digital and it will be interesting to see how artificial intelligence will revolutionize the lives of my children. In the future, artificial intelligence will take care most of the coding itself and that is why I find it especially important to teach creative thinking and skills to children.

The world is becoming digital and it will be interesting to see how artificial intelligence will revolutionize the lives of my children.